After the shaking stopped, the wall of water brought with it the worst of the destruction - so far. We’re still waiting and watching as heroic engineers risk their lives, using advanced math, physics, and sea water to battle an overheating nuclear reactor, and leaking radiation. The recent earthquake, and subsequent tsunami and nuclear crises devastated Japan, and they carry ramifications for the rest of the world. Safe food, drinking water, and shelter are still in short supply in Japan; there are things we can do to help the people of Japan (links provided at the end of this post), and help prepare our own communities for such a disaster as well.
One of the best ways to help your entire community in time of crisis is to be prepared for that crisis yourself: learn first aid, get certified in CPR, and prepare a disaster kit sufficient to care for your entire household for at least three days. Each person, or family, with their own emergency food, water, and other supplies relieves the stress of support services trying to help those without. Here is a list of suggested items for your own disaster kit. Store the items together, preferably in a tote or duffle bag so the entire kit can be transported quickly if necessary.
In Case of Emergency Kit:
- At least a 3 day supply of water – at least one gallon per person per day
- At least 3 days’ worth of shelf stable foods: canned foods, granola bars, cereals, nuts, dried fruits
- Manual can opener
- Fire extinguisher
- Flashlights
- Battery operated radio
- Appropriately sized spare batteries for both the flashlights and the radio
- First Aid Kit
- First Aid manual
- Any special needs devices, spare pair of glasses
- A few days’ worth of prescription drugs
- Package of exam gloves
- Sanitation gel
- Personal sanitation items such as tooth brushes, tooth paste, diapers, wet wipes, toilet paper, and feminine hygiene supplies
- Spare car key
- A stash of cash
- Pocket knife or multi-function pocket tool
- Notebook and pens
- Sharpie or other indelible ink marker
- 1 sleeping bag per person
- 1 change of clothes per person
- Several changes of socks per person
- 1 change of shoes per person
- Whistle or other loud device that can be used for signaling for help
- A couple small, washable toys for the baby
- Rain ponchos for everyone
- Emergency documents (see below)
- Tarp
- Tent
For the car, duplicate much of the list above (including some food and water), and add a few extra items:
- Flares
- Blankets
- Car adapter to charge cell phone
- Road maps
Emergency Documents
Get a small photo album with plastic sleeves to protect critical documents from weather. Include the following information in your photo album:
- Copy of ID and Birth Certificates for each family member
- Insurance information
- Critical medical information for each family member (drug allergies, chronic conditions)
- Current photo of each family member, include any pets you have
- Bank account information
- Emergency contact information for extended family members
- Find out the disaster response plans for school, work, and child care, and include this information in your disaster kit
- Information on how to turn off gas, electricity, and water to your home in case that is necessary
- Information on the local radio channel to which to tune in case of emergency. In Seattle, that is KIRO 710 AM.
- Your family’s disaster response plan: where to meet up after a disaster, a secondary location in case the first is unsafe, out-of-state family or friend to contact (it is often easier to call out of state than locally after a disaster), and any other specific plans your family has made to contend with an emergency.
If you have pets, please remember to include them in your plans. Include their foods and medications, as well as a spare leash, and other items to help keep them safe and comfortable.
Help Japan
Here is a small sample of the the many respectable organizations using your donations to help the people in Japan (some of these organizations are still helping the people of Haiti, as well):
- Red Cross
- Mercy Corps
- Global Giving
- Shelter Box
- International Medical Corps
- Second Harvest Japan – Japan’s national food bank
- Socks for Japan – Jason Kelly is on the ground in Japan and distributing socks and letters of encouragement (which are apparently very meaningful and cherished) – information on how to package and ship socks and hand written letters (and pictures drawn by the kids) are included at this site
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